It's March Madness Ladies! Who to watch! What to wear! Who's hot?

Happy March Everyone!

So for my first foray into blogging, it is only appropriate that I write about my second favorite sports day of the year (behind Opening Day of course), the first day of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The fact that this year it falls on St.Patrick's day makes it even better. Might as well be Christmas!

Here's some 'need to know' info for the NCAA tournament - impress your friends with these little nuggets of knowledge and they may help you fill out your bracket!

-The 'Bracket' is broken into 4 'Regions' (East, West, Southeast, Southwest): each region has a #1-16 seed.

-The 4 #1 seeds are: Ohio State (East), Kansas (Southwest), Duke (West), Pitt (Southeast)

-For the local ladies here is some info on our tri-state area teams

-Ohio State is a #1 seed and will be playing on Friday 3/18 at 4:40pm against UT San Antonio, the winner of this evening's play-in game. According to espn.com, the odds on the Buckeyes to win the National Title are 7-2 - that's pretty good odds!

-The Univeristy of Cincinnati Bearcats (6) are playing Mizzou (11) Thursday at 9:50pm: this will not be a definite win for Mick Cronin and the Bearcats, as Mizzou is a tough team from the Big 12. Watch out for UC's star, Yancey Gates. Born and raised in Cincinnati, if this Withrow grad is on point, the Bearcats should prevail.

-In another 6/11 matchup, Xavier plays Marquette at 7:40pm. This should be a good A-10/Big East battle. Watch for the Musketeers star, Tu Holloway: the undisputed leader of the team and a great shooter. He's easily one of the best guards in the game, but was snubbed for the Cousy Award this year and was not named in the Top Ten finalists.

-The good ole Wildcats of Kentucky (4) play Princeton (13) at 2:45pm on Thursday. I don't know if this will be an easy win for Kentucky, as Princeton is coming off a buzzer beater win against Harvard in the Patriot League Conference Championship last week.

-The mighty Commodores of Vanderbilt (5) will face off against the Richmond Spiders (12) at 4:10pm Thursday. Now I wish I could say that this is a lock for the good ole 'Dores, but considering their track record of the past few years, aka the epic losses to 13 seeds Siena and Murray State, I am 50/50 on this. Saying a little prayer that they do not choke in a way only Kevin Stallings knows how - blowing a 20 point lead in the last 10 minutes of the game. However, I still bleed black and gold, and will support my 'Dores regardless. WHO YA WITH???

Players to watch:

-Jimmer Fredette: This wholesome point guard from BYU has busted out on the scene this year and has captured the hearts of the ESPN talking heads. Will this good guy guard lead his BYU Cougars to the title game? We'll just have to wait and see...their journey begins tomorrow against Wofford.

-Kemba Walker: This talented point guard from the Bronx lead the UConn Huskies to 5 wins in 5 days and a Big East Championship. Lauded as one of the frontrunners for National Player of the Year (along with Jimmer Fredette), this team player is ready for the challenges that face them in the Big Dance. With big wins against Kentucky, Georgetown and Pitt, their first opponent Bucknell should be shaking in their boots.

-Nolan Smith: The Duke senior has really excelled this season and has shined while his fellow teammate, Kyrie Irving, was benched back in December with a toe injury. Another National Player of the Year candidate, Nolan is not only one of the leading scorers on the team, but he's also the motivator, known for giving pep talks to the team since his freshman year. With sources saying that Irving will be available to play in the tournament, will this reunited dynamic duo be able to lead the Blue Devils to back to back national titles? Their road begins Friday against the Hampton Pirates.

Now for the fun stuff....

Q. How do you dress to support your team AND celebrate St. Patty's Day?

A. If one of your team colors is green, then you're set! In my case, and for many of my local friends, we are not lucky. Since tomorrow I will be supporting my 'Dores AND celebrating St.Patty's day, and still want to look fashionable. I am going to work accessories into my outfit that represents Vandy and their team colors (black and gold). I plan on wearing a sea foam green American Apparel deep v-neck tee (a la Tosh.O = love him), black cardigan, skinny jeans and orange Tory Burch flats. I will accessorize with a gold necklace, and the piece de resistance, Vanderbilt croakies on my aviators. For your teams find a cute way to represent your school on this day of green beer and basketball - with jewelry, an appropriately sized college tee with a green cardigan or scarf, or even the color of your shoes. Hopefully all of your teams will experience the luck of the Irish and bring home a winner! Except if you're a fan of Mizzou or Richmond, then I hope your teams choke :)

And last but not least, the Hot Athlete of the Week:

-Since Opening Day is only TWO WEEKS AWAY (I'm not counting down or anything), this week's hot athlete comes from Major League Baseball, and from my hometown team, the Cincinnati Redlegs. While many may think the obvious choice would be our handsome right fielder, Jay Bruce, I thought we would go for a more 'unsung cutie' on the National League Central Division Champs roster : Paul Janish. The shortstop who shared playing time last season with Orlando Cabrera will be the starter this year, being relieved periodically by 2011 World Series MVP, former San Francisco Giant, Edgar Renteria. Janish is adorable, and I can't wait to see him in the uniform this season. He's one of the few players that still hikes up his pants so his red socks show! I highly recommend giving him a google :)

That's all for now, I hope I've given you enough knowledge to last through this epic sports weekend! Please stay tuned for more posts on the Sports Skinny, enjoy March Madness and Erin Go Braugh!

xoxo,

Cass